1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a conveying device used in semiconductor assembling/manufacturing apparatuses such as wire bonders, die bonders, etc.
2. Prior Art
Conventional conveying systems used, for example, in bonders are constructed as shown in FIGS. 6 through 8. A workpiece feeder base 61 is provided on a base 60, and stands 62 are installed on this workpiece feeder base 61. Two workpiece guide rails 63A and 63B are provided on the stands 62 to face each other.
As shown in FIG. 6, a loader-side magazine stacker 70 and an unloader-side magazine stacker 71 are respectively provided at the left and right side ends of the workpiece guide rails 63A and 63B. Since the two stackers 70 and 71 have more or less the same structure and are constructed with left-right symmetry, the same symbols are used to designate the same or corresponding parts for the two stackers, and only the loader-side magazine stacker 70 will be described in detail.
The loader-side magazine stacker 70 has an elevator mechanism 74 which drives elevator 73, and the elevator 73 moves up and down the magazine 72. Attachment frames 75 and 76 are installed to face each other on the elevator mechanism 74. Magazine guide rails 77A and 77B as well as the magazine guide rails 78A and 78B are mounted to the attachment frames 75 and 76 and guide the four corners of the magazine 72 in the vertical direction.
Before the apparatus is started, the magazine 72 with stacked workpieces therein is set in the loader-side magazine stacker 70, and an empty magazine 72 is set in the unloader-side magazine stacker 71.
Workpieces are fed out onto the workpiece guide rails 63A and 63B from the magazine 72 of the loader-side magazine stacker 70 by a pusher (not shown). When a workpiece is fed out of the magazine 72, the magazine 72 is raised or lowered by one pitch so that the next workpiece in the magazine 72 is fed out. The workpieces fed out onto the workpiece guide rails 63A and 63B are intermittently fed by a feeder mechanism (not shown) and then bonding is performed by a bonding apparatus (not shown) which is installed beside the workpiece guide rails 63A and 63B. When the bonding has thus been completed, the workpieces are accommodated in the magazine 72 set in the unloader-side magazine stacker 71. When a workpiece is accommodated in this magazine 72, the elevator 73 of the unloader-side magazine stacker 71 is raised or lowered by one pitch by the elevator mechanism 74 of the magazine stacker 71 so that the next workpiece is brought into the magazine 72.
In the above conveying system, the space between the workpiece guide rails 63A and 63B and the space between the magazine guide rails 77A and 77B as well as the magazine guide rails 78A and 78B needs to be changed when different size (or width) workpieces are processed (depending upon the type of product).
Conventionally, such a size-matching (size-matching) of the guide rails is accomplished in the following manner: as seen in FIGS. 6 and 8, positioning pins 80 are mounted to the stands 62, and gauge plates 81 are on the positioning pins 80. The space between the workpiece guide rails 63A and 63B is determined via these gauge plates 81. The size-matching (width-matching) of the magazine guide rails 77A and 77B and rails 78A and 78B is also determined by gauge plates 83.
However, in this method, the workpiece guide rails and the magazine guide rails must be adjusted individually, which is extremely inefficient.
As a means to solve this problem, the Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open ("Kokai") No. 60-67312 discloses screws to be turned by motor so that workpiece guide rails are moved in the direction of width of the workpieces via the screws.
In this prior art, an adjustment of the workpiece guide rails is relatively easy. However, since as shown in FIG. 6, the magazine guide rails 77A and 77B as well as 78A and 78B must be adjusted using the gauge plates 83, the time for such an adjustment operation is increased. Also, since the adjustment work is performed by a worker, it is likely that the amount of play between the magazines 72 and the magazine guide rails 77A and 77B as well as 78A and 78B is inconsistent.